Tag / 5 piece french wardrobe

Celine-luggage-bags
By On In Shopping6,467 Comments

I love buying new things,  if I could be a personal shopper it would be my favorite job in the world.

I’m always in touch with the latest products and news online and on magazines, always checking whats improving in the market, I currently work in a digital agency and this has helped me see so much in the advertising world when buying products, and determine the quality product.  The are several branding agencies that work in doing effective and real marketing campaigns and other who just talk and brand something to sell when it is a really bad service or product, but if you really want to promote a good product or service you should get marketing services as The Indexer to really help you with this.  So now that I know more of how it works I love to check the advertisement and follow it to go shopping or just go to the stores and find out more about the products while I relate them to their current market campaign.

Whenever I’m visiting the department store de Bijenkorf in Image result for shoppingAmsterdam, it’s pretty easy to locate me. I’m either trying out new stuff at the Kiehl’s stand or drooling over Céline bags in their bag department. Seriously, they sell the best bags.

But yesterday’s visit made me think about how blogs influence our shopping habits and how we always want more. Even though I already own two of my dream bags I couldn’t help but look around for the next possible purchase. I’m lucky that I can afford the occasional splurge now, but I still remember looking up to several blogs as a student. Seeing girls my own age, or maybe a few years younger even, spending thousands of dollars on designer handbags and buying new items every week, I wanted that too. But being a student and paying for everything yourself (housing, insurance, tuition, food etc.) by working in a supermarket, leaves little money for designer goods or clothes and accessories in general. Nevertheless, it’s really easy to get carried away with wanting all of the items posted on your favorite blogs.

Now that I have an actual grown-up job (I thought that would never happen after 11 years of studying), it’s great that I’m able to treat myself every once in a while. However, I do realize that posting expensive items on the internet on a regular basis may give the impression that I can afford it all. But trust me, I can’t. Buying luxury items is all a matter of prioritization. My salary is pretty average (but I really love my job so it’s all good) and then there’s the monthly bills of course. I live in a rented house with my boyfriend and we split everything 50/50. Bills get paid first and we have a monthly budget for groceries etc. The rest is ours to spend. Most of my money that’s left over goes into my savings account though, so I always have something to fall back on in case of emergencies or when I want to buy something expensive from my 5 piece French wardrobe list.

Speaking of the 5 piece French wardrobe, a little while ago I promised to post a list of my five must-have pieces that I’m planning to buy this season. Well, you know what, so far that list contains 0 items. I started one with a couple of things I liked (not loved) and a few really expensive things. You see, I have my eyes on a gorgeous Acne leather jacket and the Saint Laurent Lulu bag, but something is holding me back. I’m not yet convinced that they’re both timeless pieces that I can wear for a couple of years and I would hate to find out that I’m over them in 6 months. When I bought my Balenciaga bag, I knew I would love it forever. I bought one of it’s first knockoffs right after I saw it on Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in 2005 and was still madly in love with the design 7 years later. But these… what if I just caught the fashionblogger-bug and want them because I’ve seen them so often on other blogs and instagrams?

I really dislike the fact that I am not always indifferent to fashion blogs and the way they portray a perfect lifestyle filled with gorgeous expensive things. Let’s face it, nowadays some of these (full-time) top bloggers need to make a living and their blogs aren’t so different from commercial advertising. It’s hard not to get sucked in. I mean, would that pair of Acne Pop jeans or my Isabel Marant coat be hanging in my closet if blogs didn’t exist. Who knows. I probably wouldn’t have even known they existed. So to make sure I’m not making a huge mistake, I’m going to put that leather jacket and Saint Laurent bag on my wish list for a while and we’ll see how I feel about them in a couple of months.

So tell me, do fashion blogs have an influence on your shopping habits? And if you own a blog, do you ever feel pressured into buying new things in order to create posts and keep your readers interested?

5-piece-wardrobe-basics
By On In Shopping, Wardrobe4,209 Comments

Before I present to you my wish list of five for this season, let’s discuss basics first. Last week I wrote about the 5 piece French wardrobe and how a high quality, well-chosen selection of basics is key to making this work. Over the years I’ve read a lot about this shopping method and some people seem to wonder what qualifies as a basic. For instance, I hardly ever wear skirts or dresses, so I don’t consider them basics but they might be for you. What’s important to keep in mind is that your basics are the items that hold your wardrobe together and make it easy to mix and match with your investment pieces (aka those 5 items you’re spending your money on).

So here is my list of wardrobe essentials:

Tops
– T-shirts in black, grey and white
– A white and black long sleeve
– A cashmere sweater or cardigan
– A white (preferably silk) shirt

Bottoms
– Black skinny jeans
– Grey skinny jeans
– Blue skinny jeans
– A pair of black trousers

Shoes
– Black ankle boots
– A pair of black flats or loafers
– Sandals
– Converse sneakers

Jackets/coats
– A trenchcoat
– Black leather jacket
– Oversized winter coat
– A black blazer

Accessories
– Medium sized black bag
– Small black/navy bag
– A delicate bracelet or necklace
– Silver watch

Pretty basic right? I could throw some of these items on and be done for the day. Admittedly, it wouldn’t be the most exciting outfit, but since I made sure I bought the best basics suited for my body, I would feel 100% comfortable, put together and myself. And to me, knowing that I look my best and not having to worry about anything, is the most important thing. Now tell me, what would your list of wardrobe basics look like? Would it be very different from mine?

5-piece-french-wardrobe-acne
By On In Shopping, Wardrobe8,251 Comments

I started my 5 piece French wardrobe adventure a couple of years ago and it changed my life. Sounds dramatic, right? But it did. For years I spend a lot of my hard earned cash at fast fashion clothing stores like H&M and became somewhat of a compulsive shopper. But then I was introduced to the 5 piece French wardrobe shopping method through two of my favorite internet forums. I had seen pictures of the Acne Pistol boot floating around the internet and developed a major crush but quickly moved on since I thought I could never afford such a purchase, let alone justify it, as a student. Until I clicked on those particular topics. In case you have never heard of this method, let me talk you through it, starting with this quote from one of the topics:

“It is said” that many French women spend more money on each individual garment, but purchase fewer garments overall. Thus, French women are able to wear high quality, brand name clothing while spending the same or a lesser amount of money as someone who buys more clothes at cheaper prices. According to many, this is why the French are so chic: they have small wardrobes comprising completely of high quality garments, which they wear year over year.

Interesting, non? So how does this thing work? When following the 5 piece French wardrobe method, you need to make sure you build up a solid wardrobe consisting of well-chosen basics (think: white shirt, black jeans etc.) Then every season you are allowed to buy 5 higher quality garments to update your look. Mind you, we’re talking fashion seasons here (spring/summer, fall/winter), not weather seasons. The end goal is a small wardrobe filled with pieces you truly love and want to wear over and over again. Thus, making it easier to get dressed in the morning without the I-have-a-full-closet-but-nothing-to-wear-experience.Now you might not save a lot of money doing this, since we’re going for quality pieces. But, because you’re only allowing yourself to buy 5 items, you need to plan your purchases carefully. So while this may take some time, think of all the bad buys you’ll avoid this way! At the beginning of every season I like to create a list of most-wanted pieces while keeping in mind that:

  • Basics that you’re missing or that need to be replaced don’t count
  • Accessories like jewelry do count
  • Socks and underwear don’t count
  • Bags and shoes do count

These rules aren’t set in stone though. Everyone is free to make some minor adjustments. So, did I end up with those Pistol boots? Well I guess the picture kinda spoiled it. It took me a couple of months to get used to this idea of ‘shopping’. But they ended up being my first expensive designer purchase and I paid for them with trembling hands. After that, I never looked back (okay, except for that one time I bought my Balenciaga bag and almost cried when the sales guy charged my credit card, but let’s not talk about that). It does get hard every once in a while, so that’s one of the reasons why I started this blog. It’s a good way of keeping myself on track and maybe I’ll meet some lovely like-minded people along the way.

Would you ever consider the 5 piece French wardrobe way of life?